I am not sure if it is better than the first as I have to rewatch it to get quite a few jokes. But it is entertaining. The script is more mature and has fewer cliches than the first one. (which is a good thing itself I suppose, given how fresh the first one was)

The visuals are amazing. Worth the ticket itself.The animation good except for some scenes where Hiccup and another character's lipsing is a bit odd.

Great world building.And dragons! So many of them. Actually this has probably more dragons than humans!

The score is good.

Warning: you might be a bit disappointed if you expect to see more scenes similar to the Hiccup-Toothless meeting from the first one. There is much cuteness associated with Toothless, but no big scenes specified. Small ones scattered throughout the film. And some hilarious moments between Toothless and other dragons.

It is actually a much mature and darker film than the first one. And has lots more action.

But there is a scene near the end which packs a big emotional punch.

4.5/5

The thing that, for me, really sets apart these two films is the tiny sense of loss we feel at the end of them.

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

In the first one the victory isn't at the cost of nothing. Hiccup looses a leg.In this one, it is the death of his father, Stoic. (and this comes not too late after he is reunited with his long lost wife) And there is no sappy melodrama in the death scene. Stoic just dies. No last words, a few tears from Hiccup and co. Followed by, probably my favorite scene from the movie, a Viking's last rites.

We finally did see it. It's visually stunning, and even though there's still comedy, it's a more serious story than the first. And it's not just a rehash! There's a surprising new character, and a poignant element. And a lot of action!

It was pretty good, nothing amazing to my eyes, though (wasn't a fan particularly of the original). To be fair I could do with watching it a second time. I do like how the characters actually aged, and with that, some of the humour.

Dragons has to be my favorite franchise of DreamWorks, this was superbly done. The animation, the characters, and the story really pull you into their world. I loved seeing all the new dragons and the growth of the Vikings was fun to watch. They all looked so cool.